The Chinese government claims that the cameras can combat crime
and maintain "social stability," but there is a serious concern
within the country that maybe things have gone too far.

For an illuminating (and perhaps worrying) example of the
country's surveillance camera madness, check out the photograph
below. It's one of many photographs of a junction in Shanghai's
Baoshan District that spread on social media recently (you can
see
more photographs on NetEase):

There may be a small glimmer of hope for Chinese citizens
concerned about their privacy, however — a recent report in the
South China Morning Post found that China's notorious smog
problem has rendered much of the country's
expensive surveillance system "useless."